Mechanical kickdown for electronic throttle control pedal assembly
First Claim
1. An accelerator pedal assembly (12) for electronically controlling a vehicle engine throttle comprising:
- a housing (18) for attachment to a vehicle structure (26);
a pedal arm (16) having an upper end (22) pivotally supported with respect to said housing (18) and a lower end (20) for supporting a pedal pad (14), said pedal arm (16) being pivotable between a plurality of operable positions as a pedal force is applied to said pedal pad (14);
a resilient member (50) including a first end (52) fixed relative to said pedal arm (16) and a movable second end (54) for bias engagement with said pedal arm (16), said pedal arm (16) presenting a cam surface (48) for interacting with said resilient member (50) wherein said resilient member (50) is forced into contact with a portion of said cam surface (48) when said pedal arm (16) is pivoted from a first operable position to a predetermined second operable position such that the pedal force required to further pivot said pedal arm (16) is increased, said resilient member (50) including a roller (58) mounted on said second end (54) for engaging said cam surface (48).
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An accelerator pedal assembly (12) for electronically controlling a vehicle engine throttle includes a housing (18), a pedal arm (16) pivotally supported with respect to the housing (18), and a pedal pad (14) connected to a lower end (20) of the pedal arm (16). The pedal arm (16) is pivotable between an idle position and a maximum applied position as a pedal force is applied to the pedal pad (14). Under certain conditions, the accelerator pedal arm (16) can be pivoted to a position that causes the automatic transmission (40) to kickdown by changing to a next lower gear. Under these conditions a feel is imparted to the driver'"'"'s foot indicating that a downshift has occurred. To simulate this feel in a drive-by-wire application, the pedal arm (16) presents a cam surface (48) for interacting with a spring (50) that has a first end (52) seated within the housing (18) and a movable second end (54) for bias engagement with the pedal arm (16). The spring (50) includes a roller (60) mounted on the second end (54) that is forced into contact with a lobe (74) on the cam surface (48) when the pedal arm (16) is pivoted from a first operable position to a pre-determined kickdown position. As the roller (60) engages the lobe (74), the pedal force required to further pivot the pedal arm (16) is increased imparting a kickdown feel to the driver via the pedal pad (14).
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An accelerator pedal assembly (12) for electronically controlling a vehicle engine throttle comprising:
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a housing (18) for attachment to a vehicle structure (26);
a pedal arm (16) having an upper end (22) pivotally supported with respect to said housing (18) and a lower end (20) for supporting a pedal pad (14), said pedal arm (16) being pivotable between a plurality of operable positions as a pedal force is applied to said pedal pad (14);
a resilient member (50) including a first end (52) fixed relative to said pedal arm (16) and a movable second end (54) for bias engagement with said pedal arm (16), said pedal arm (16) presenting a cam surface (48) for interacting with said resilient member (50) wherein said resilient member (50) is forced into contact with a portion of said cam surface (48) when said pedal arm (16) is pivoted from a first operable position to a predetermined second operable position such that the pedal force required to further pivot said pedal arm (16) is increased, said resilient member (50) including a roller (58) mounted on said second end (54) for engaging said cam surface (48). - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An accelerator pedal assembly (12) for electronically controlling a vehicle engine throttle comprising:
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a housing (18) for attachment to a vehicle structure (26);
a pedal arm (16) having an upper end (22) pivotally supported with respect to said housing (18) and a lower end (20) for supporting a pedal pad (14), said pedal arm (16) being pivotable between a plurality of operable positions as a pedal force is applied to said pedal pad (14);
a resilient member (50) that engages a portion of said pedal arm (16) when said pedal arm (16) is pivoted from a first operable position to a pre-determined second operable position such that the pedal force required to further pivot said pedal arm (16) is increased, said pedal arm (16) presenting a cam surface (48) for interacting with said resilient member (50), said resilient member including a first end (52) fixed relative to said pedal arm (16) and a movable second end (54) for bias engagement with said pedal arm (16) wherein said resilient member (50) is forced into contact with a portion of said cam surface (48) when said pedal arm (16) is pivoted from said first operable position to said predetermined second operable position, an electronic throttle control sensor (28) supported by said housing (18) for generating an electric control signal (30) that varies in magnitude in proportion to the extend of movement of said pedal arm (16) relative to said housing (18) and wherein said resilient member (50) includes a roller (58) mounted on said second end (54) for engaging said cam surface (48).
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17. An accelerator pedal assembly (12) for electronically controlling a vehicle engine throttle comprising:
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a housing (18) for attachment to a vehicle structure (26);
a pedal arm (16) having an upper end (22) pivotally supported with respect to said housing (18) and a lower end (20) for supporting a pedal pad (14), said pedal arm (16) being pivotable between a plurality of operable positions as a pedal force is applied to said pedal pad (14);
a resilient member (50) including a first end (52) fixed relative to said pedal arm (16) and a movable second end (54) for bias engagement with said pedal arm (16) said pedal arm (16) presenting a cam surface (48) for interacting with a resilient member (50) wherein said resilient member (50) is forced into contact with a portion of said cam surface (48) when said pedal arm (16) is pivoted from an idle position to a first operable position when a first pedal force is applied to said pedal pad (14) and is pivoted from said first operable position to said second operable position when a second pedal force is applied to said pad (14) and is pivoted from said second operable position to a maximum applied position when a third pedal force is applied to said pedal pad (14) with said second pedal force being greater than said first or third pedal force. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification